Previously published as “In the Heart’s Shadow” by T.L. Haddix.
Detective Stacy Kirchner had a less than ideal childhood. For the most part, she’s moved on and put that behind her, and she’s built a respectable if solitary life in Olman County. But following a near-catastrophic injury, she’s emotionally vulnerable. Lonely and needing answers to long-held questions, she opens herself up to a woman who wishes her nothing but ill—her mother. Instead of answers, she ends up opening a Pandora’s box.
Galen Gordon has had to come to terms with the blows he’s been dealt—the death of his wife, the loss of his career as an FBI agent—and he’s realizing that he has fallen in love again. Just when he’s ready to take the steps that will bring him closer to Stacy, her mother throws their lives into chaos. Now Gordon has a new realization to deal with—he may have waited too late to start again.
Can he and Stacy build a romance while battling the evil that has found them? The stakes couldn’t be any higher, and if they aren’t careful, they’ll find themselves paying with their very lives.
“Malice Murder” is the fifth book in the Olman County series. It was previously published as “In the Heart’s Shadow” by T.L. Haddix.
T.L. Haddix is the author of the Firefly Hollow Series, women's fiction romances set in Eastern Kentucky, as well as numerous other projects under various pen names. She's a self-described eccentric, a somewhat reclusive stick in the mud who lives in Eastern Kentucky with her husband and their cat-children. Her hobbies include gardening, cooking, reading, genealogy, casual bird-and-critter watching, and being short.
She writes books about characters who are flawed but who somehow still manage to overcome the challenges thrown in their paths and reach for happiness with their soul mates. And while she can't tell a joke in the real world to save her life, she tries to inject her characters' lives with quirky, unintentional humor that surprises readers at just the right moment.
After all this reading I ask running out of great things to say. T. L. Haddix writes such compelling mysteries you almost forget there is romance and small town charm interwoven between the danger and intrigue. Each book of the Shadows Collection gives us another character from the small town of Leroy, Indiana. I can almost hear the corn grow. These are quick reads however jammed packed with a complete story. Nothing missing and if you read them in order you get to watch all the previous characters and their lives blossom and grow. I don't know what I am going to do once I finish with the last book. These books are that good. I am getting filled up with both my favorite genres; mysteries and romance!
Awesome book!!! I enjoyed reading the book Malice Murder. I have to admit I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the new book written by Alex Collins. I LOVED the original book when it was part of the Shadows series so I wasn’t sure I would like the new updated version of the book. However, I really enjoyed reading the new version of the book. The book includes minor parts from the original book such as interactions with Chloe, stories about Murphy, and all of the Leroy friends/family that I have come to love. There was also new information that was included in this story that made the book better. I would strongly recommend this book and I can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out.
This was my favourite of T.L. Haddix' "Leroy" series, I found the characters were well-rounded and kept my interest throughout - both the female and male protagonist had their emotional baggage to deal with, but T.L. Haddix didn't allow their story to devolve into melodrama. The tension was at a good level throughout the book, and whilst we knew one of the bad guys almost from the beginning of the book, the secondary one was kept secret almost all the way through the book, with a good amount of red-herrings thrown in. I love that characters from previous books continue making appearances in this series, it's like catching up with old friends. A highly recommended series.
I've enjoyed this whole series. It would make anyone want to be part of such a caring close knit community. I dislike reviews that just tell me the story, I read the book for that. The characters have backgrounds that made them better people, rather than falling into the easy tool of crime and deceit. There a lot of intrigue, investigative drama, along with love.
I really like this author, and this series. I have read the first 5 books at least twice. Now I have the rest of the series. Reading again to get reacquainted with the people of Leroy. All the books have been almost impossible to put down.
I have enjoyed this entire series but this one was a slower read and didn't have the good story line that the others did. This book was okay but I was a little disappointed.